Heinz Deckert (2 February 1927 – 11 November 2008) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

trade union leader. Born in Langenwiesen, Deckert worked as a typesetter. In 1944, he was conscripted into the

Reich Labour Service The Reich Labour Service (''Reichsarbeitsdienst''; RAD) was a major organisation established in Nazi Germany as an agency to help mitigate the effects of unemployment on the German economy, militarise the workforce and indoctrinate it with Naz ...

, and then the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...

, but was taken as a prisoner of war in April 1945. Released at the end of the war, he worked in construction before returning to typesetting. In 1946, he joined the Free German Youth. He also joined the

Free German Trade Union Federation The Free German Trade Union Federation (german: Freier Deutsche Gewerkschaftsbund or ''FDGB'') was the sole national trade union centre of the German Democratic Republic (GDR or East Germany) which existed from 1946 and 1990. As a mass organis ...

(FDGB), and studied at its district school. In 1950, Deckert was appointed as president of the Industrial Union of Printing and Paper for

Weimar Weimar is a city in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in Central Germany between Erfurt in the west and Jena in the east, approximately southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together with the neighbouri ...

and

Gera Gera is a city in the German state of Thuringia. With around 93,000 inhabitants, it is the third-largest city in Thuringia after Erfurt and Jena as well as the easternmost city of the ''Thüringer Städtekette'', an almost straight string of cit ...

, soon becoming its chair for

Thuringia Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million. Erfurt is the capital and lar ...

. In 1953, he joined the union's national executive as its chair for Gera, becoming the secretary of the executive in 1958, and vice president of the union in 1959. From 1961 until 1964, Deckert studied in the Soviet Union, at the Party University of the CPSU, before returning to his post as vice president of the union. In 1966, he was appointed as the union's president, also serving on the presidium of the FDGB. In 1970, he was also appointed as president of the

Standing Committee of Trade Unions in the Graphic Industry The Standing Committee of Trade Unions in the Graphic Industry, also known as the Permanent Committee Graphic Arts Unions, was an international trade union federation for workers in the graphic arts industry. History The organization was found ...

, in which post he worked closely with the Leonhard Mahlein and the International Graphical Federation. Deckert retired from his union posts in 1985 and 1986. He died in 2008.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Deckert, Heinz 1927 births 2008 deaths German trade union leaders People from Thuringia Reich Labour Service members German military personnel of World War II German prisoners of war in World War II